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GP Extended Access Service in Stevenage

Stevenage Locality are looking at the best way to provide a GP Extended Access Service for patients in Stevenage. Patients are therefore kindly asked to complete a short survey - you will find the relevant link to the survey and further information on how to do this in our 'Latest News' section. Your comments and feedback from completing this survey, will help to structure how the service will be provided.

Latest News

GP Extended Access Service in Stevenage

Stevenage Locality are looking at the best way to provide a GP Extended Access Service for patients in Stevenage. Patients are kindly requested to complete the following survey by clicking on the link below:-

Your comments and feedback from completing this survey, will help to structure how the service will be provided.

Dr. Holt Relocation

Dr. Holt will sadly be leaving the practice on the 31st March 2018 as she is relocating with her family to the coast. We will all miss her at the practice but wish her and her family the very best of luck on their relocation.

Dr. Holt wanted to write a personal message to her patients, which is detailed below:-

Dear Patients,

I thought I should let you know that I will be leaving Bedwell Medical Centre sometime in the summer of 2018.

My husband (who is also a GP in Hitchin) has reached retirement age and has decided to stop working. Our family is grown and will have left home, so we are taking the opportunity to move closer to the coast and start a new chapter in our lives.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with you all and I have greatly enjoyed my time here. I will miss you a great deal.

One final favour. I would ask that people please do not use appointment time to reminisce or say goodbye. I struggle to run to time dealing with the medical problems brought in by patients within the 10 minute time slots that I have. It is not unusual for me to run late. Adding in extra delay, however well-meant, is not fair to the people with appointments booked later on in the surgery.

Instead I have put a book behind reception at Bedwell Medical Centre. If you have a message or a goodbye you wish to leave for me please ask a member of the reception team at Bedwell and they will find the book so you can write it down for me.

If you are at Roebuck surgery and can't get to Bedwell the reception team at Roebuck have some sticky labels that you can write on, which can be stuck into the book later on.

I wish you all the very best for the future. I have met some of the strongest and most courageous people I have ever known working here. Keep up the good work!

Cervical Cancer Prevention Week - 22nd - 28th January 2018

The theme for the Cervical Cancer Prevention Week is " Reduce Your Risk".

Cervical cancer can be prevented. With your help we can ensure that every woman knows how they can reduce their risk of the disease and the steps they can take to look after their health.

This means:-

attending cervical screening, when invited

knowing the symptoms of cervical cancer and seeking medical advice if you start to experience any of them

taking up the HPV vaccination if aged 11-18

talking to friends and family to ensure they know how they can reduce their risk

knowing where to find support and further information

The facts:-

every day in the UK 9 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer

around 2 women lose their lives from the disease every day

cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women under 35

75% of cervical cancers can be prevented by cervical screening (smear tests), however 1 in 4 women do not attend this potentially life-saving test

Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service

The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST), the new care taker provider of non-urgent patient transport services, is putting in place new arrangements to provide transport services in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Luton.

All patients who are eligible for patient transport, and have transport booked for their next out-patient appointment, should call EEAST’s contact centre on 01603 481 208 (this number is operational from 8am-6pm Monday to Friday) to confirm their transport arrangements. Eligible patients should also use this number for making bookings.

They are trying to encourage those patients who are able to make their own way to their appointments to do so if possible.

'Fit to Fly'

Please be advised that if you require a 'Fit to Fly' letter from your GP, you will need to put this request in writing and send it into the practice.

We then have 14 days, from receipt of this letter, in which to respond to your request.

As this is classified as 'non-NHS' work, there is a charge of £25.00 which is payable upon collection of the letter.

Integrated Urgent Care Service - NHS 111

From the 29th June 2017 patients calling NHS 111 will be able to speak to a much wider range of clinicians than before. So as well as GPs, there will be nurse prescribers, dentists and pharmacists present in the contact centre to give advice.

NHS 111

NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.

Call NHS 111 if:-

You need medical help fast but it's not an emergency

You don't have a GP

You need access a GP but your surgery is closed

You don't know who to call

You need health information or reassurance about what to do next

When you call NHS 111, a team of fully trained healthcare advisors supported by clinical advisors are there to help you.

They will ask you questions to assess you and can also give you fast and easy access to a range of clinical staff if required, including GPs, nurses and prescribing pharmacists.

NHS 111 can then direct you further to the local service which can help you best. This could be an Out of Hours doctor, a late-opening pharmacy or an urgent care centre.

Benefits of calling NHS 111 when your GP surgery is closed

Get advice from a wide range of healthcare professionals including GPs, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and mental health staff

No time spent waiting at A&E if your condition could be better treated elsewhere

Your GP will receive a report of the service we provided for their records if you are happy for us to do so, making sure they are aware of any special help you might need

Different healthcare services and providers are now connected making it easier for you to get the help you need

If you have complex need you could be given quicker access to the help you require

You will be cared for in the right place for your health needs, ensuring you receive the right care for your condition

Missed Appointments - New Policy with effect from 1st April 2017

Missed Appointments at the Practice

Our Practice has an ever increasing amount of patients who fail to attend their appointments and who fail to contact the surgery in advance to cancel.

Due to the number of patients failing to attend appointments, it may be that you are not able to see the doctor on the day that you wish to.

Effects On the Practice

An increase in waiting time for appointments

Frustration on both staff and patients

A waste of resources

A potential risk to health of the patient

The Practice and our Patient Participation Group have both agreed a Practice Policy needs to be implemented for patients who fail to attend their appointments without sufficient notice - this policy will take effect from the 1st April 2017.

Practice Policy for Missed Appointments at the Practice

Fail to attend 3 appointments in the duration of 12 months:-

Any patient who fails to attend a pre-booked appointment on more than 3 occasions in the space of 12 months will receive an informal letter. The letter will give you the opportunity to advise us if there are any specific problems preventing you from providing sufficient cancellation notice.

Fail to attend 4 appointments in the duration of 12 months:-

If a patient fails to attend another appointment in a rolling 12 month period a second informal warning letter will be sent to the patient, advising that a further occurrence could risk removal from the Practice.

Fail to attend 5 appointments in the duration of 12 months:-

If a patient fails to attend a further appointment in a rolling 12 month period the matter will be discussed at a Practice meeting and a majority agreement will be reached as to whether the patient will be removed from the Practice and 30 days' notice will be given before being removed. Once removed, the patient will be unable to re-register at our Practice for 1 year from the date of removal.

The National Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP)

Bedwell Medical Centre and Roebuck Surgery are participating in the National Diabetic Prevention Programme (NDPP) which offers our patients, at risk of diabetes, the chance to attend a behaviour change programme. This programme is being delivered on behalf of the NHS by ICS Health & Wellbeing to help people reduce their risk of diabetes.

Those referred will receive tailored, personalised help to reduce their risk of Type 2 diabetes including education on healthy eating and lifestyle, help to lose weight and bespoke physical exercise programmes, all of which together have been provide to reduce the risk of developing the disease.

Named Accountable General Practitioner

All our fully registered patients at the practice now have an allocated named accountable General Practitioner who is responsible for their overall care. If you would like to know who your named GP is, or would prefer a different GP to the one you have been allocated, please contact the practice. We will endeavour to accommodate your request, where we can. Please note that by having a named GP does not prevent you seeing any other GP at the practice.

My Care Record

What is it?

The people caring for you need access to your health and care record in order to make the best decisions about your diagnosis and treatment. This could include GPs, hospital-based clinicians, nurses, health visitors and social workers.

For this to happen more quickly and to improve the care you receive, a new process has been put in place.

This will allow your information to be accessed by different health and care organisations, using existing computer systems.

This does not share your record, but provides health and care professionals, with your permission, access to view your information.

How it works

My Care Record securely connects different health and care computer systems together. When a patient’s records are requested, it collects the information from the different systems and allows health or care professionals treating to view this information. None of the information it collects is stored and none of it can be changed. The information viewed is therefore always as up-to-date as possible.

Before any information is collected or displayed to a health and care professional, the patient must be asked for their permission. Patient permission is recorded in an audit trail so that we know exactly who has accessed what information and when. The audit trail is available to the people who hold the original record (for example your GP).

If however, after you have read all the information regarding 'My Care Record' you do not wish your information to be made available, please print off a copy of the 'opt out' form below and return to the practice at your earliest convenience:-